JetBlue TrueBlue - JetBlue Operations Are Returning to Normal Today

Source: JetBlue Airways Corporation

JetBlue Operations Are Returning to Normal Today


JetBlue Expects to Operate 90 Percent of Today's Schedule

Customers Booked through March 18 May Still Voluntarily Rebook
Between March 20-April 30, 2007

NEW YORK, March 17, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) (PRIMEZONE) -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq:JBLU) is returning to scheduled operations today following a severe winter storm in the Northeast United States on Friday, March 16. JetBlue expects to operate at least 90 percent of its scheduled operations today. Delays and cancellations will be minimized throughout Saturday as the airline completes its recovery following the March 16 winter storm.


As announced Thursday, March 15, JetBlue customers who are scheduled to travel through March 18, 2007 to, from, or through the following cities may elect to voluntarily rebook their travel for any time between March 20, 2007 and April 30, 2007. Rebooked travel must be completed by April 30, 2007. JetBlue will waive change fees and fare differences.



Boston, MA
Buffalo, NY
Burlington, VT
Newark, NJ
New York/JFK
New York/LaGuardia
Portland, ME
Rochester, NY
Stewart/Newburgh, NY
Syracuse, NY

Customers who wish to voluntarily rebook their travel are asked to call JetBlue Reservations at 800-JETBLUE (800-538-2583) on or after Monday, March 19. JetBlue is currently experiencing high call volume.

Customers are encouraged to check the status of their flight online at www.jetblue.com prior to leaving for the airport. Customers with web-enabled cell phones and PDAs may check the status of their flight via mobile.jetblue.com.

JetBlue Airways is focused on creating a new airline category -- an airline that offers value, service and style. Based in New York City, and now in its eighth year, the low-cost carrier currently serves 50 destinations with more than 550 flights daily. JetBlue has the most legroom in coach (a) and is America's first and only airline to offer its own Customer Bill of Rights, with meaningful compensation for customers inconvenienced by flight delays or cancellations (b). In addition to its signature seatback personal television service (c), the low-fare, high-value airline offers customers generous brand name snacks and beverages, including freshly brewed Dunkin' Donuts(r) coffee, and delicious wines selected by the airline's Low Fare Sommelier, Josh Wesson from Best Cellars(r). With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information or reservations call 1-800-JETBLUE (1-800-538-2583) or visit www.jetblue.com.

(a) JetBlue has the most legroom in coach, based on average fleet-wide seat pitch for U.S. airlines.

(b) For full details of JetBlue's Customer Bill of Rights, visit www.jetblue.com/promise.

(c) DIRECTV(r) service is not available on flights outside the continental United States; however, where applicable, FOX InFlight(tm) is offered complimentary on these routes. FOX InFlight(tm) is a trademark of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. JetBlue's in-flight entertainment is powered by LiveTV, a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue.

The JetBlue logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=795

This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature which represent our management's beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and are based on information currently available to us. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements due to many factors, including, without limitation, our extremely competitive industry; increases in fuel prices, maintenance costs and interest rates; our ability to implement our growth strategy, including the ability to operate reliably the EMBRAER 190 aircraft; our significant fixed obligations; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and maintain our culture as we grow; our reliance on high daily aircraft utilization; our dependence on the New York metropolitan market; our reliance on automated systems and technology; our being subject to potential unionization; our reliance on a limited number of suppliers; changes in or additional government regulation; changes in our industry due to other airlines' financial condition; and external geopolitical events and conditions. Further information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to, the Company's 2006 Annual Report on Form 10-K. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

CONTACT: JetBlue Airways
Corporate Communications
(718) 709-3089
For Reservations
800-JETBLUE (800-538-2583)
www.jetblue.com

you don't deserve adulation for doing merely what is expected

you don't deserve adulation for doing merely what is expected

I don't think anyone is asking for "adulation" here. Instead, jetBlueFA simply posted an informative PR containing an operational update post-storm. See, on FlyerTalk there are many frequent travelers who find this info helpful.

Additionally, I give jetBlue a great deal of credit for operating 90% of its schedule the day after a storm...especially after last month's meltdown. If jetBlue failed this time around, this forum would be flooded with the negativity it faced last month. People don't really pay attention to the good things - and that's a shame. So, sulsk, please don't try and bring this forum (especially an informative thread such as this one) down to that level.

Gee, now you tell me that flights are "90% normal" AFTER you cancelled them yesterday for Sat....you guys SUCK!

Well let's see, DL, CO, UA, AA, US all cancelled massive amounts of flights yesterday and today. Do they suck as well? I'm mearly posting if for the dozens of people that contacted me to ask about flight operations today. I would like to hear your side on why "we suck".

NOTE: Whatever "side" is given, whatever comments are offered on this or any thread, they need to be civil and friendly.

Ones that aren't will be deleted and posters subject to action.

Thank you.

cblaisd
Senior MOderator

I agree...be a little more considerate.

Well let's see, DL, CO, UA, AA, US all cancelled massive amounts of flights yesterday and today. Do they suck as well? I'm mearly posting if for the dozens of people that contacted me to ask about flight operations today. I would like to hear your side on why "we suck".Let's see.....your competitors' websites didn't melt down. I tried CO myself several times on Friday. Let's see.....your competitors didn't purposely hang up on their customers after telling them to go online to track their flights knowing FULL WELL that their website was unable to handle such heavy traffic. Let's see.......your competitors were able to rebook those who were on cancelled flights. Colleagues of mine who were scheduled to fly on DL back to LGA on Friday had NO PROBLEM rescheduling. My father, who was on B6 FL 505 on 3/16 which didn't get cancelled until late afternoon, wasn't able to reach your airline until Saturday afternoon! Brilliant job hiring little housewives, Jetblue. It makes me prefer call centers in India because at least those are supposed to be run professionally. They don't hire some clueless women who "work" while watching games shows or soap operas.

Jetblue has lost my admiration and respect. Do a search and see all I have written previous to this past small storm about how much I have really liked your airline. Now........they are like a toddler trying to act like an adult during a crisis. They failed.

So what that they are normal on a nice sunny day. Big deal.....

My anger is not addressed to anyone here personally; it is aimed immediately at this backward airline.

So had we not put the "please use our website" on the recorded message we would have been alright? CO, DL, and US all experienced major problems with their phone system as well on Friday and into Saturday. Our system was back up by friday evening and few calls where being dropped. I called in several times on friday evening to list myself for flights and at most had a 13 minute wait.

In retrospect the website should have never gone down and there really isn't an excuse as nobody else experienced website issues. DL's was a bit slow for me but still loaded. I doubt you will see the company open a call center. It's just not the way the company operates. So when you call if you will have to talk with our SLC housewives and fathers instead of hoping for the one english speaking agent in the call center based in India.

I doubt you will see the company open a call center. It's just not the way the company operates. I fear you have already seen the inherent limitations of the distributed/kitchen-table model, and if you want to survive your own growth you are going to have to get a grown-up customer service infrastructure.

So had we not put the "please use our website" on the recorded message we would have been alright? CO, DL, and US all experienced major problems with their phone system as well on Friday and into Saturday.Is that really your response? You think your airline deserves credit for purposely hanging up on customers just before they tell them to visit their website which THEY KNEW couldn't handle the heavy traffic? I'm waiting for your comments on that business plan.

CO and DL did not hang up on their passengers nor were their websites down on Friday. I guess they didn't follow Jetblue's business model of hiring house wives part-time?

Our system was back up by friday evening and few calls where being dropped. I called in several times on friday evening to list myself for flights and at most had a 13 minute wait.Maybe you as an employee think it acceptable to wait 13 minutes for 1-800-JETBLUE to answer the phones but your customers don't. My father couldn't reach anyone at Jeblue until Saturday afternoon. Should he have have been advised that waiting 13 minutes was what he was supposed to do?

In retrospect the website should have never gone down and there really isn't an excuse as nobody else experienced website issues. DL's was a bit slow for me but still loaded.Your customers in retrospect will not come back to Jetblue if they know they were left hanging because Jetblue chose to hire housewives to cut costs and maintain a cheap website. Did you really need hindsight to see that Jetblue's deficient website was unacceptable?

I doubt you will see the company open a call center. It's just not the way the company operates. So when you call if you will have to talk with our SLC housewives and fathers instead of hoping for the one english speaking agent in the call center based in India.I see how Jetblue operates when things are all sunny; I have now seen how they operate when demand increases due to weather conditions or any other issue. Jetblue's purposeful lack of preparedness is cause for my firm to drop Jetblue as a vendor of ours ASAP especially if they want to maintain their current system of cheap housewife labor. The housewives clearly can't handle their jobs when there is inclement weather; is that how Jetblue wants to continue to operate? I'd take an Indian call center any time which is available to customers than some idiot housewife who "works" part-time as she stuffs her face with food, watches game shows, and then goes to soccer practice to pick up her kids instead of being expected to work for what should be a world-class airline! The Indians want to work. Why does Jetblue prefer those who won't work 40 hours per week? Why won't they staff customer service PROFESSIONALS around the clock especially during high demand times? They aren't the new kid on the block anymore.

I fear you have already seen the inherent limitations of the distributed/kitchen-table model, and if you want to survive your own growth you are going to have to get a grown-up customer service infrastructure.

Oh you don't have to tell me that twice. ^ Call centers and other non-homebased systems have their advantages over homebased solutions. I just stated I don't think you are going to see them, as least not for a while, there are greater areas of concern right now. I would hate to see managements "to do list" :p

I'd take an Indian call center any time which is available to customers than some idiot housewife who "works" part-time as she stuffs her face with food, watches game shows, and then goes to soccer practice to pick up her kids... Why won't they staff customer service PROFESSIONALS? ... I'm as unimpressed with the kitchen-table CSA model as you, but is this really a fair and accurate characterization of the workforce?

I'm as unimpressed with the kitchen-table CSA model as you, but is this really a fair and accurate characterization of the workforce?

I'd take an Indian call center any time which is available to customers than some idiot housewife who "works" part-time as she stuffs her face with food, watches game shows, and then goes to soccer practice to pick up her kids instead of being expected to work for what should be a world-class airline! The Indians want to work. Why does Jetblue prefer those who won't work 40 hours per week? Why won't they staff customer service PROFESSIONALS around the clock especially during high demand times? They aren't the new kid on the block anymore.

Of course not, they're doing Pilates, too. :D

Well, if normal means losing one piece of checked-in luggage (a suiter) which my husband had to check in on his flight from JFK to BOS, then I guess the OP is right.

One piece of luggage and, it's not there. They can't find it. My husband just called me as livid as can be. The agent there said that sometimes they put the bags on the wrong belt. Oh well.....but hey, they gave him a $30 voucher toward the purchase of future tickets. :confused: :rolleyes: He got what he paid for; it's a cheap flight but now he has no luggage. :td:

So, Jetblue apologists, my husband is spending one night in Boston, then flying tomorrow on another airline to another business appointment St Louis, and then coming back home late Wednesday night.

Jetblue says that IF IF IF they find the luggage, they will see if they can put the piece on another flight to BOS today and have it delivered to my husband's hotel.

So this is "Jetblue operations are returning to normal today"?

Unfortunatly luggage gets lost all the time and i'm sorry it happened to your husband. I use to work ground at another airline and 99% of the time the bag showed up on the very next flight and was delivered within 2hrs of arrival at the airport. Most likely the bag will be to your husbands hotel by this evening.

Well, if normal means losing one piece of checked-in luggage (a suiter) which my husband had to check in on his flight from JFK to BOS, then I guess the OP is right.

One piece of luggage and, it's not there. They can't find it. My husband just called me as livid as can be. The agent there said that sometimes they put the bags on the wrong belt. Oh well.....but hey, they gave him a $30 voucher toward the purchase of future tickets. :confused: :rolleyes: He got what he paid for; it's a cheap flight but now he has no luggage. :td:

So, Jetblue apologists, my husband is spending one night in Boston, then flying tomorrow on another airline to another business appointment St Louis, and then coming back home late Wednesday night.

Jetblue says that IF IF IF they find the luggage, they will see if they can put the piece on another flight to BOS today and have it delivered to my husband's hotel.

So this is "Jetblue operations are returning to normal today"?

had he been on almost any other Carrier hed probably still be in NY.

Just view any other Carrier Forum, and you will be able to read the exact type of post as yours probably 100s of times over.

JB is doing better then most of the others this time. No carrier is perfect. In all my yrs of flying and yes checking in bags, Ive had damaged bags but so far B"H none lost for ever. Ive had my share of both bags showing up the night before my return flight home, and thats after a week. Sometime I will join the ranks of those whose bag is lost and Lost forever. The more one flys the greater the % that it will happen, nothing I can do about especially when heading overseas for a week or 2. It wont get me to stop flying XYZ unless it was pure negligence that caused it and was proven thusly to me, or a complete lack of Help in trying to trace it down.

Heck someone posted they paid 3000 GBP for a 1st class tkt on BA and ended up waking up to find the FAs were putting a woman who died in the seat next to his and BA basically told him to get over it w/o offering them anything.

Its a different World out there today!

No Carrier is Perfect

Well, if normal means losing one piece of checked-in luggage (a suiter) which my husband had to check in on his flight from JFK to BOS, then I guess the OP is right.

One piece of luggage and, it's not there. They can't find it. My husband just called me as livid as can be. The agent there said that sometimes they put the bags on the wrong belt. Oh well.....but hey, they gave him a $30 voucher toward the purchase of future tickets. :confused: :rolleyes: He got what he paid for; it's a cheap flight but now he has no luggage. :td:

So, Jetblue apologists, my husband is spending one night in Boston, then flying tomorrow on another airline to another business appointment St Louis, and then coming back home late Wednesday night.

Jetblue says that IF IF IF they find the luggage, they will see if they can put the piece on another flight to BOS today and have it delivered to my husband's hotel.

So this is "Jetblue operations are returning to normal today"?

You are right, because Jetblue is the only airline to lose bags.

You are right, because Jetblue is the only airline to lose bags.They are the only airline whose customer service line purposely hangs up on them when customer service is what is needed, for example, when bags are lost.

JB is doing better then most of the others this time. No carrier is perfect. In all my yrs of flying and yes checking in bags, Ive had damaged bags but so far B"H none lost for ever.
...
Its a different World out there today!

No Carrier is PerfectI don't expect perfection. I do expect their customer service line to take customer calls to help handle the problem of lost luggage. I don't expect a deliberate hang up. Do you?

They are the only airline whose customer service line purposely hangs up on them when customer service is what is needed, for example, when bags are lost.

False. This has been the case with pretty much every airline affected by the storm. I'm not saying it's right or not annoying - but the phone issue is not unique to only jetBlue.

False. This has been the case with pretty much every airline affected by the storm. I'm not saying it's right or not annoying - but the phone issue is not unique to only jetBlue.The storm ended early Saturday morning. What other airline has a recording which is hanging up on customers right now?

The storm ended early Saturday morning. What other airline has a recording which is hanging up on customers right now?

I know people who had problems with CO and USAir (dont know if we can call USAir an Airline:p )

I don't expect perfection. I do expect their customer service line to take customer calls to help handle the problem of lost luggage. I don't expect a deliberate hang up. Do you?

You are absolutely correct, Analise, and well within reason to expect an airline's phone system to be able to handle calls, especially after, as they tout, "operations have returned to normal."

^ ^ ^

System is back up now, maybe they where doing maintenance on it or something. There is no weather issues and no major delays so there really was no reason for high call volume so an outage or repairs could be the other possible explanation.

They are the only airline whose customer service line purposely hangs up on them when customer service is what is needed, for example, when bags are lost.

We are not talking about their phones. In your original quote, you were mad that they lost his bag, not about the phones. Original Message:

Well, if normal means losing one piece of checked-in luggage (a suiter) which my husband had to check in on his flight from JFK to BOS, then I guess the OP is right.

One piece of luggage and, it's not there. They can't find it. My husband just called me as livid as can be. The agent there said that sometimes they put the bags on the wrong belt. Oh well.....but hey, they gave him a $30 voucher toward the purchase of future tickets. He got what he paid for; it's a cheap flight but now he has no luggage.

So, Jetblue apologists, my husband is spending one night in Boston, then flying tomorrow on another airline to another business appointment St Louis, and then coming back home late Wednesday night.

Jetblue says that IF IF IF they find the luggage, they will see if they can put the piece on another flight to BOS today and have it delivered to my husband's hotel.

So this is "Jetblue operations are returning to normal today"?



I feel bad for him losing his luggage. However, thousands of bags all across America are lost every day. Welcome to the world of air travel.

You are absolutely correct, Analise, and well within reason to expect an airline's phone system to be able to handle calls, especially after, as they tout, "operations have returned to normal."

^ ^ ^

I really don't know very much about Jetblue's internal phone, reservation system but I dare say that as we move on as a company there will be major investments in infrastucture and technology to rectify these problems. Gave it some time I'm confident that these issues will be dealt with accordingly.

I feel bad for him losing his luggage. However, thousands of bags all across America are lost every day. Welcome to the world of air travel.I flew Iberian Air 5 years ago from IBZ to ORLY changing in Barcelona. Layover at BCN was only 45 minutes; my bags never made it. In ORY, I spoke some of my broken French concerning my lost luggage. My flight arrived in ORY around 1pm. So with a language barrier, I filled out a report and begged them to do what they could to find my lost luggage and deliver it to my hotel. I called the desk once to find out any info about my bags and they told me exactly where the bag was (on the next flight and would be trucked to my apartment) My bags were delivered merely 6-7 hours later.

But Jetblue can't even answer the phone. So much for an american airline. Iberia could do it; Jetblue couldn't. How can Iberia track a piece of luggage but Jeblue is inept? Lost luggage happens; no way to get help directly through customer service should NEVER happen.

I flew Iberian Air 5 years ago from IBZ to ORLY changing in Barcelona. Layover at BCN was only 45 minutes; my bags never made it. In ORY, I spoke some of my broken French concerning my lost luggage. My flight arrived in ORY around 1pm. So with a language barrier, I filled out a report and begged them to do what they could to find my lost luggage and deliver it to my hotel. I called the desk once to find out any info about my bags and they told me exactly where the bag was (on the next flight and would be trucked to my apartment) My bags were delivered merely 6-7 hours later.

But Jetblue can't even answer the phone. So much for an american airline. Iberia could do it; Jetblue couldn't. How can Iberia track a piece of luggage but Jeblue is inept? Lost luggage happens; no way to get help directly through customer service should NEVER happen.

a couple of yrs ago I flew CO to ZRH and connected to Swiss. As I was about to board I looked out and could have sworn I saw my bags pass by the plane. I got ahold of the supervisor who assured me my bags will be on the flight (have to say it was suppose to be a DC-10 but that went MX so they instead were sending 3 A-320s. well got to my destination and YEP no bags, I had to wait till the plane took off back to ZRH till I was able to speak to anyone from Swiss itself (they have Rent a Crew) handling the L&F for them.

Was reassured it will be on the next flight which was already in the air on its way. I got the mgr to call ZRH to confirm it, as he was talking to ZRH his face turned Red, ZRH confirmed that my bags were NOT on that flight, and werent exactly sure where they were at all.

since I had some things in the bags I had to decline letting their Delivery People handle it as I needed to walk the bags thru Customs to be sure. was told they would call me whenever they find them and let me know which flight they will be on. Well that never happened but they did call asking when I expected to come and get my bags once they did arrive.

Once I went thru that episode I figured if "Swiss" who are known for promptness and timeliness cant get their Act together that I should Never expect anyone else to no Matter what they say or toot.